Low light speed cameras record over 400 offences during winter months

New low-light cameras, designed to keep Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s roads safer by capturing images of speeding vehicles earlier and later in the day, recorded over 400 speeding offences since their introduction last November.

The Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) invested in the new technology for its mobile camera vans after collision data from 2022 and 2023 showed that:

• For all road users, 46% of fatal collisions and 30% of serious collisions happened during the hours of darkness
• For pedestrians, 56% of fatal collisions and 35% of serious collisions happened during the hours of darkness

The top offence speeds recorded by the SSRP’s low-light cameras were 54mph in a 30mph zone and 66mph in a 40mph zone.

Deputy Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Dave Evans is co-Chair of the SSRP, alongside Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams.

Dave said:

“We know that speeding is one of the main contributory factors in fatal collisions, and the lack of visibility during darker mornings and evenings adds to the risks posed to all road users, especially children travelling to and from school.

“By allowing us to tackle speeding even in low light conditions, these upgraded cameras are helping to make our roads safer for everyone to use, whatever the time of day.”

The upgraded cameras provide higher quality images and better low-light capability. They are also more compact and lightweight than previous mobile cameras, allowing them to be used more efficiently at sites identified as a speeding concern.

The SSRP is a partnership between public sector organisations within Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, who work together to make our roads safer.

The SSRP aims to achieve a long-term, sustained reduction in road traffic collisions through joint work by partners including the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office, Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council and National Highways.

Find out more about the work of the SSRP here: 

www.staffssaferroads.co.uk